Improved steam steering apparatus



' UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES S. MORRISON,OF KEOKUK, IOWA.

IMPROVED STEAM STEERING APPARATUS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 37,517, dated January27, 1863. i

.To all whom, t may concern:

Be it known that I, G. S. MoRRisoN, of Keokuk, in the county of Lee andState of Iowa, have invented a new and useful Inlprovementin SteeringAttachments for Steamboats and Vessels 5 and I do hereby declare thatthe following is a full, clear, and exact description ot' the same,reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part ot' thisspecification, in which- Figure 1 ais plan or top view of my invention.Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section of' the saine.

The same letters of referencein the two figures indicate like parts.

The nature ot1 my invention consists in the arrangement ot' apaddle-wheel on a longitudinalshai't located above the surface of thewater, and on the stern ofthe boat, in combination with the auxiliaryreserve steam-eu gine, and the ordinary propeller-wheels and rudders orsteering devices. By this arrangement the boat can be turned bysteam-power either out of course or entirely around in the quickestpossible time, in an emergency, or whenever necessary. This result canalso be accomplished in shallow water, and without any danger of leakageatthe point where the longitudinal shalt is boxed in the vessel, thesaid shaft not being below the water, as in other cases, where attemptshave been made to accomplish what I do. My arrangement places thereserve steering device beyond dependence upon the main engine, and thuslong belts and inconvenient connections dispensed with, and, what ismore than all, a powerful direct action from the small engine upon thesteering-wheel is obtained.

Io enable others skilled in the art to carry out my invention, I willproceed to describe the same with reference to the drawings.

A represents a boat with a stern paddlewheel, B. ln this instance thepaddle-wheel is driven from the large or main engine-cylinders O O, asshown.

D represents one of 'two ordinary rudders, arranged as usual on theboat, so as to serve for steering the boat under ordinary circumstances.Il is the auxiliary paddlewheel arranged on a shaft set at right anglesto the shaft of the main paddle-wheel. lhis wheel is also on the sternpart ot' the boat, but a short distance forward of the main wheel, asshown. To give motion to this auxiliary wheel, two smallsteam-cylinders, F F, of an auxiliary engine are connected to the crankot' the wheel-shaft, as shown.

It will be evident that if the main propelling paddle-wheel is slackenedin its speed, and the auxiliary wheel set in motion, the boat will beturned out ot' her course or turned round if the motion of the wheel iscontinued long enough for that purpoie. Then the dcsired change incourse has been effected, the auxiliary wheel is stoppeil and the mainwheel set in action, and when this is the case the ordinary rudders orsteering devices are brought into use. My invention may, therefore, beregarded as a reserve steering device to be used in an emergency, orwhen a very speedy change in the course of the steamboat or vessel isrequired.

I contemplate using my rotary stern steering-wheels on boa'ts which arepropelled by a recess or central wheel, also in connection with boatswhich have side wheels. I also contemplate using a single-cylinderauxiliary engine, and either upright or horizontalengines. In fact, theconstruction of the engine and the style of the rotary stern steeringdevice may be modified in many ways without departing from the inventiondevel oped herein.

I do not claim, broadly, the mode of steeri ing a vessel by means ot' apaddlewheel, or its equivalent, so arranged as to act in a directionperpendicular to the longitudinal axis ot" such vessel, being aware thatcontrivances for that purpose have heretofore been described, lthoughthey are believed never to have been put in practice; but

What I do claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The abovedescribed arrangement-that is to say, the use ot areserve.paddle-wheel acting perpendicularly to the longitudinal axis ot'a vessel, and having its shaft above the water-line, in combination withordinary rndders or steerers, ordinary propellers, and auxiliary enginesacting direct-ly upon the longitudinal shaft, the whole being arrangedsubstantially in the manner and for the purpose above set forth.v

CHARLES S. MORRISON.

Witnesses:

CHAs. MAsoN, ltoB'r. W. FENwroK.

